5 Ways To Spice Up Your Training With Quotations

" People will accept your idea much more readily if you tell them that Benjamin Franklin said it first. " David. H Comins

That quotation illustrates a strength, and a weakness, of using quotations.

One of the strengths can be that they add to the authority of a statement you might make, you can show that someone famous agrees with what you're saying ( or, at least, that's the implication, the reality might be that you got the idea from them in the first place ).

Also, why reinvent the wheel? If someone has expressed an idea really well already, why not use their words instead of trying to come up with something equally memorable yourself?

The weakness can be that no-one has heard of the person you're quoting. For instance, who exactly is David H. Comins? I've just spent 5 minutes searching the internet  ( practically a day in web time ) and can't find out who he is. 

Anyway, I think quotations can be very useful when you're training and here are 5 ways you can use them to add some interest to what you're doing.

Tip 1.

Put them around the room on big, brightly coloured cards.

This brightens up the room and makes it look more inviting. It adds some interest and gives people something to look at and think about while they're waiting for the course to start. Also, you can then refer to them as you go along,  " As it says in that quote by Winston Churchill..."

" Quotation, the act of repeating erroneously the words of another. " Ambrose Bierce

Tip 2.

Use them as introductions to a course or session or as an ice - breaker to get people talking.

You can let people walk round and look at the quotations you've put on the walls or print some out as handouts and let people work in groups discussing them.

This can help to get people working together, it helps them to focus on the topic at hand, it can generate ideas and discussion and it can give them an opportunity to share some of their own experiences and concerns.

For example, I've done this with some quotations about Management and asked people which ones they felt best described how they felt about managing people, or the style of management they saw in their workplace. Having the quotations gave them a starting point for the discussion.

" A fine quotation is a diamond on the finger of a witty person but a pebble in the hands of a fool. " Unknown

Tip 3.

Use them in any materials you prepare, such as workbooks or manuals. Start each section with a good quotation or use them to break up the material and add interest.

" Somewhere in the world there is an epigram for every dilemma. " Hendrick Willem van Loon ( no, me neither ).

Tip 4.

Use a quotation as the starting point for a discussion or debate. This is a bit like the old exam questions you used to get - for example, " Stephen Covey says, ' Seek first to understand, then to be understood ', how do you think this applies to being a successful consultant? "

You could even divide people into two groups and have a debate, for and against the opinion expressed in the quotation.

" Quotes are nothing but inspiration for the uninspired. " Richard Kemph

Tip 5.

Get people to make up their own quotations. Suggest some formats, e.g. " Management is like ..., you're always..." or, " A good trainer is like a…"

Then put their own quotations around the room with their names next to them ( and, of course, use them in your next training session! )